At union rally, a glimpse of an organized New Orleans hospitality industry

At a Thursday rally that was part of nationwide demonstrations held by the UNITE HERE hospitality workers union, New Orleans and Biloxi hotel, convention center and casino employees called for local service industry workers to organize and spoke out in praise of the union.

About 75 people, a few still in chef coats and pants, gathered Oct. 19 at the corner of Convention Center Boulevard and Canal Street to chant and hear speakers who are members of Local 2262, UNITE HERE's area chapter. The speakers' overpowering message: organizing has raised their wages, given them access to affordable health insurance and more in an industry that's sometimes known for offering meager benefits and poor financial security.

"When hospitality jobs are unionized, they become middle-class jobs," Marlene Patrick-Cooper, UNITE HERE organizing director, said. "It's the best answer for fighting poverty in the United States."

The rally was just one of a series of recent events which indicate new momentum in efforts to organize the city's hospitality industry, which employs more than 80,000 people. Last month, the newly formed New Orleans Hospitality Workers Committee marched through the French Quarter to call for more equitable treatment. Earlier this year, 500 workers at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside hotel voted to unionize with UNITE HERE, joining workers at the Loews New Orleans Hotel, Harrah's New Orleans Hotel and Casino and some departments at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

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